First Grave on the Right Read-along – Week 4

Willow here with another installment of questions for the month-long read-along of First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones! If you are interested in following along and/or participating in the event, here’s the schedule for the month.

1. One of my favorite aspects of this book are the witty snippets at the beginning of every chapter. I especially like the t shirt quotes. My favorites are:

Jenius

Sarcasm. Only one of the services offered.

Do not disturb. Already there.

What is the funniest t shirt or bumper sticker you have encountered? If you had a t shirt that best described you what would it say?

My humans love funny t-shirts and bumper stickers, so I’ve been fortunate to have been exposed to a great many good ones. For t-shirts I would say my ultimate favorite is The Black Death Tour shirt which lists all the cities that the plague went through during the years 1547-1551. Yes, I get that it is rather sick and twisted, but I happen to like sick and twisted so there you go. Bumper sticker wise, one of my favorites was used in the book: “Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons; … for you are crunchy and go good with ketchup.” I also like “Don’t make me release my flying monkeys.”

The t-shirt that would best describe me would say, “Chaos, panic, and disorder~my work here is done.” This is an actual t-shirt that one of my human’s owns by the way. And it has a black cat walking across it with its tongue sticking out. =^.^=

2. Charley is constantly helping ghosts throughout the book. Would you like to be able to talk to ghosts and bring closure to their loved ones? How would you feel about all the ghosts popping up at all times day or night? Would you like to have a ghost like Mr. Wong in your house?

Didn’t I already answer a question like this in the previous discussions? I’m quite comfortable with ghosts. My fellow felines and I commune with them daily, so it’s not that big of a deal around here. As far as our helping to bring closure to those left behind, I’ve found that most humans I’ve tried to talk with don’t understand me. A lot of the time they respond with, “Oh aren’t you a cute kitty. Such a chatter box. Meow meow kitty.” It’s so degrading. The few who do understand me start trying to think of ways to make a fast buck. Thankfully my humans don’t fall into either of these categories.

3. Kim reveals some rather shocking and sad details about Reyes’ past. Do you agree with her decision to adhere to her promise and not intervene? Would you be willing to keep your word and let a loved one die if it was their wish?

Yes to both of these questions. If a loved one made me promise to not have contact with him/her, as Reyes had Kim promise, in order to keep me safe, then I’m holding to that promise because it would hurt them more if I broke it and ended up harmed as a result of something that could have been prevented. In the case of Kim, she had no way of knowing whether the threat against her was gone or not, so she had every right to the promise Reyes had her made. Also, it’s not my place to deny a loved one a chance to die if that is truly their last wish. Yes it would hurt to lose that person, but I’d rather know they went out on their own terms rather than suffer. I’ve got no right to take away another person’s choice, if that is indeed their choice. Even if I don’t agree with it, it’s still not my place to interfere. The only exception to this is if this person intended to hurt or kill others while taking his/her own life. People automatically assume that death is this horrible thing, but it isn’t. It only sucks for those who are left behind and that’s only because most folks aren’t comfortable with the idea of death.

4. In Chapter 19 Charley confronts the bad guy and finds herself in yet another situation where she gets her ass kicked. Do you like the fact that Charley consistently ends up getting her butt handed to her? What are your overall thoughts on Charley?

It’s realistic. You get into a fight with something, you are going to get hurt. The more dangerous the fight, the more you are going to get hurt. That’s reality. We don’t live in a cartoon world where people can just get up, brush off the dirt, and not have a scratch on them. Having said that, I will admit to having gotten use to reading books where the main characters walk away from a major fight with only a few cuts and bruises. There was a moment or two where I couldn’t help but think about how she could have done a better job at protecting herself, or at the very least stopped and considered the consequences prior to taking action.

My overall thoughts on Charley…I liked her, a lot. She’s sarcastic and prone to getting into mischief. She’s also just a great deal of fun.

5. Chapter 20 is a big, hot, smoking chapter. We finally get some answers on Reyes. Does the revelation change your opinion of him? Do you think he can overcome his “nature” and be a good person or is Charley in big trouble?

I loved Reyes from the start, and I loved him straight through to the end. I think he’ll overcome his “nature”. I mean, he’s done pretty well so far and only allowed his true self to come out in order to protect those he cares about. It may not be easy or pretty, but I think he’ll win in the end. Course, I’ve got to wonder how much of a role Garrett will end up playing in Charley’s life too. There’s chemistry between them, and I’m not sure Reyes is going to like the idea of someone else being interested in Charley.

6. Did you enjoy this book? Will you be continuing the series?

I loved this book and will most definitely be continuing the series. I’ve already insisted that my human get the second book for me from our local library so I can read it next month. I’m planning to read book three in October and book four when it comes out in November too. This was a wonderful read and I can’t wait to post up my review next week. =^.^=

“Chaos, panic, and disorder~my work here is done.” LOL I like that one. I would keep my loved ones wishes as well. I like Reyes but I like Garrett too! Realistically yes get in a fight you are going to get hurt. I hope your human gets you the next book soon! ;-)

The Black Death t shirt now that is pretty dark and twisted but I like it! I am so glad that you are a fan now! I will be watching for your review. Thanks so much for doing the read along, I loved your unique posts!

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